[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/casino_sold_9463.jpg]][[caption-width-right:350:[[Franchise/JamesBond It all started here.]]]]

->''"The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning."''-->-- Opening line

Creator/IanFleming's very first ''Literature/JamesBond'' novel, published in 1953.

The plot follows Bond, as he is tasked to bankrupt a man named Le Chiffre in a card game at the eponymous casino. The idea behind it is to cripple the Russian spy organization SMERSH, whom Le Chiffre is working for.

Fleming sold the rights to the novel separately from the rest of the [[Film/JamesBond main film series]], which is the reason that it took so long for [[Film/CasinoRoyale2006 a proper adaptation of it in 2006]]. Before that, there were two other adaptations:* The 1954 version was an episode made for the American ''Climax!'' TV series. While it has the honor of being the first Bond production outside a book, it Americanized everything including Bond himself, as well as greatly simplifying the story. It starred Barry Nelson as Jimmy Bond and Creator/PeterLorre as Le Chiffre. In turn Leiter was [[KeepItForeign changed from American to British]].* [[Film/CasinoRoyale1967 The 1967 version]] was an unholy mess of a spoof, with no less than 8 Bonds (9 including Creator/SeanConnery, who does not appear but receives a ShoutOut) and almost as many directors. Logic is paid little heed in the pursuit of comedy. Notably, it includes Creator/DavidNiven as the one-and-only original Sir James Bond -- Niven was Fleming's first choice for the part before Connery made it his own -- as well as Ursula Andress's second appearance in a Bond movie, this time as both the Bond girl and James Bond. It also starred Creator/WoodyAllen as young Jimmy Bond (his "disappointing" nephew), Creator/PeterSellers as Evelyn Tremble a.k.a. James Bond, and Creator/OrsonWelles as Le Chiffre.

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!!Tropino Royale:

* AuthorAppeal: Ian Fleming loves baccarat, and the novel features an interlude explaining the rules to beginners (which is cut in some editions).* BadassBookworm: In addition to his strong mathematical background, it's mentioned that Le Chiffre carries three razor-blades on his person and is skilled at fighting with them. Pity we never see these skills.* BigDamnHeroes: Felix's "Marshall Aid" package bails out Bond when he runs out of cash.* BloodKnight: When it comes to gambling. Bond is ''very'' excited to play Baccarat with Le Chiffre.* BrokenBird: Vesper. She is pretty fragile from the get-go, and outright depressed towards the end of the story.* CarChase: A relatively low-key one as Bond pursues Vesper's kidnappers, though [[spoiler:it does come to quite a spectacular finish when the bad guys make Bond's car flip over with a bunch of caltrops]].* CelebrityResemblance: Bond is described by one character to another as looking similar to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoagy_Carmichael Hoagy Carmichael]]. Bond himself is aware of the comparision (even though he wasn't involved in that conversation -- he's probably heard it a million times). In another scene he looks at himself in the mirror and thinks that Carmichael is much better looking than he.** TextualCelebrityResemblance: Leiter is described as fitting into his clothes in a way that is reminiscent of Music/FrankSinatra.* TheCommiesMadeMeDoIt: [[spoiler:Vesper's reason for her betrayal]].* CostumePorn: Every outfit Vesper wears gets a gorgeous description.* CyanidePill: Mentioned in passing; it's how the only SMERSH operative (so far) captured by the West does himself in.* DescriptionInTheMirror: Bond does this in one chapter.* TheDreaded: SMERSH. Le Chiffre, who generally keeps his cool whether he has the upper hand against Bond & his allies or not, is utterly ''terrified'' when [[spoiler:a SMERSH gunman shows up in the basement of his villa, and doesn't even try to fight back or talk his way out. Vesper's reaction to them is, if anything, even bleaker.]]* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Vesper]].* DuelingScar: Of the non-literal type: Bond is described as having a small scar on his right cheek.* {{Fainting}}: One of Le Chiffre's men threatens to shoot Bond with a silenced gun [[SwordCane hidden in his cane]] unless he withdraws from the game, saying he'll be gone from the casino before anyone realises Bond hasn't just passed out. Instead Bond pretends to faint from the tension of the high stakes game, falling backward in his chair and knocking the weapon from the man's hands.* FoodPorn: Not as bad as it would get in later Bond novels, but present.* {{Foreshadowing}}: Early in the novel, Vesper remarks (while speaking of her velvet dress, which shows marks when sat on): "If you hear me scream tonight, I shall have sat on a cane chair." Later, [[spoiler:Bond is tortured on what was originally a cane chair -- though the seat ''was'' cut out]].* GratuitousFrench:** M is reading a report by Head of S in which the latter states that Le Chiffre is in the mess he's in because the chain of legal brothels he was running using embezzled party funds were closed by a 1946 French law usually referred to as "la loi Marthe Richard", which criminalised them. Head of S gives the full French title of the law [[note]](Loi tendant à la fermeture des maisons de tolérance et au renforcement de la lutte contre le proxénétisme)[[/note]]. M rings him up, asks what (it is implied) "proxénétisme" means -- pimping (literally, "procuring"). M then responds:--->"This is not the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlitz_International Berlitz School of Languages]], Head of S. The next time you want to show off your knowledge of foreign jaw-breakers, be so good as to use a crib. Better still, write in English."** The inclusion of the above incident borders on HypocriticalHumor, as the rest of the novel is full of dialogue in untranslated (and uncommented-upon) French.* GroinAttack: Bond is interrogated by Le Chiffre with a carpet beater, which is used for this purpose. Le Chiffre notes in his typically detached way that the true ''beauty'' of such torture is not just the pain (which the brain blocks out after a while), but the psychological element at the thought of spending the rest of his life as less of a man brings to the victim. * HoistByHisOwnPetard: James Bond actually uses this term when discussing his would-be assassins. They were given two bombs (disguised as cameras) by Le Chiffre's men, both of which were run-of-the-mill bombs. They were told that one was a smoke bomb, and to throw the "real" bomb at Bond, while setting off the smoke bomb to escape. The assassins decided instead to set off the "smoke bomb" first, blowing themselves up.* HonorBeforeReason: This is the probably best description that can be applied [[spoiler:to the SMERSH agent who kills Le Chiffre but spares the helpless Bond. It's not out of any personal code of ethics, but rather just because his superiors hadn't ''ordered'' him to do anything besides punish Le Chiffre, throwing a bit of BotheringByTheBook into the mix. Bond even notes that the man will probably be raked over the coals by his superiors when he gets back to Russia.]]* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: The narrative uses the word ''parabola'' twice, once to describe the victim's responses to ColdBloodedTorture and once to outline the progression and dissolution of a typical love affair.* LadykillerInLove: Bond falls hard enough for Vesper to want to propose to her.* LudicrousGibs: What happens to [[spoiler:the two Bulgarian would-be assassins who try to kill Bond with a briefcase bomb]].* ManlyTears: Bond's response [[spoiler:after finding Vesper Lynd's body and a note confessing what she did]].* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Le Chiffre.* NarrativeProfanityFilter:** Though the book renders most of the the French-language dialogue in full, at one point one of Le Chiffre's henchman lets loose with an unspecified "torrent of lewd French."** Bond replies to Le Chiffre's demand to know where the prize money is hidden with "... you".** This trope actually manages to overlap with PrecisionFStrike in the final scene, in which Bond speaks "one harsh obscenity."* NearVillainVictory: Le Chiffre cleans Bond out at the end of Chapter 11. Bond has a minor HeroicBSOD, but is rescued by the timely intervention of Felix Leiter('s bosses' pocketbook).* PunchClockVillain: Bond notes that actual Soviet spies are just that, spies, essentially white collar workers and bureaucrats just doing a job. He reserves his hatred for SMERSH, the Soviets' loyalty enforcement and assassination division. * RansackedRoom: Bond's hotel room is ransacked by {{Mooks}} looking for a cheque. They don't find it because [[spoiler: he's hidden it behind the room number -- on the ''outside'' of the door]].* RidiculousExchangeRates: The pound to franc exchange rate, at about a thousand to one. The French government would later introduce the New Franc in 1958 (responding to inflation by replacing 100 Old Francs with 1 New Franc). * TheStateless: The villain flaunts his statelessness, claiming to have lost his memory during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and calling himself [[GratuitousFrench Le Chiffre]] or any other equivalents in other languages.* StayInTheKitchen: Bond's response when realising Vesper [[spoiler: has been kidnapped]] is anger that women can't just stay in the kitchen and leave men's work to the men.* StealingFromTheTill: Why Le Chiffre wound up at the Casino Royale in the first place. It's even discussed in Bond's mission briefing, which notes that till-robbers commonly resort to gambling to cover their asses.* StockholmSyndrome: Discussed. Bond has spoken to enough torture survivors to know that becoming attached to his captors is a risk.* StressVomit: What Bond does after [[spoiler:his would-be assassins blow themselves up]]. This is perhaps ''the'' most jarring bit in the novel for those primarily familiar with the cinematic Bond; no [[BondOneLiner snarky quips]] here, folks.* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: Or perhaps [[WhatMeasureIsAMook de-emphasis]] -- the final words of the novel [[spoiler:are a deliberately callous report to London. "The bitch is dead now."]]* ThisIsReality: During the torture scene, Le Chiffre explains to Bond that there is no hope:-->"This is not a romantic adventure story in which the villain is finally routed and the hero is given a medal and marries the girl. Unfortunately these things don't happen in real life."* VillainousRescue: A SMERSH operative [[spoiler:arrives and kills Le Chiffre while the latter is torturing Bond]], with the unintended effect of [[spoiler:cutting the torture short and sparing Bond from permanent injury]].* WhatIsEvil: The trauma of his torture makes Bond grapple with this question as he recuperates in the hospital, and he even briefly considers quitting his job. [[spoiler:Of course, Vesper's suicide note and the revelation of her betrayal immediately snaps him out of it.]]* ZorroMark: [[spoiler:The SMERSH agent who takes down Le Chiffre cuts a bizarre symbol into Bond's hand, as a demonstration of his superiority. Bond explains later what he believes it to mean.]]

----!!The 1954 TV production contains examples of:

* CompressedAdaptation: The relationship between Vesper/Valerie and Bond is greatly simplified, one of the effects of which is that the long final section portraying the increasing tensions between them and [[spoiler:her confession and suicide]] is completely omitted.* HostageForMacGuffin* LargeHam: Peter Lorre seems to be doing a Creator/HumphreyBogart impression.* MutilationInterrogation* PrettyInMink: Valerie Mathis (the story's rough counterpart to Vesper) appears in a fur wrap, as do a number of background characters.* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:Vesper and, possibly, Le Chiffre]]* TheUnreveal: Le Chiffre is shown groping for his hat -- then the show ends. It had previously been mentioned that he kept a razor hidden there. (This is an unintended result of missing footage in some versions. The full ending is extant; in it, Le Chiffre threatens Valerie with the razor [[spoiler:and is shot dead by Bond]].)